Process for the recovery of nickel from ore.



No. 868,769. 4 PATBNTBD 00T. 22, 1907.

' o. H. EHRBNPELD & J. R. GROVE.

PRQQBSS POR THB RECOVERY of NIGKBB FROM ORE..

unieuro! Hmm 1.111,27. 190e.

UNITED- STATE-s' PATENT OEEIOE.

'CHARLESEA'TCH EHRENFELD 'AND facon Ross onovn. or Yoan, PEN'vsrLi-zirra.

PROCESS lrfoPJJni: RECOVERY OF NICKEL FROM ORE.

Speciicatron of Letters Patent.

' Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application iileddannary 27, 1906. Serial No. 298,107.

Be itlmown that tie-CHERL'ES HATCH EHRENFELD .yaddaconRossl Grieve, citizens of the TJnitedStates. {l'esidilug'atYorh i-nthe county of York and State of :Benusylvaniaf'have invented certain new and useful,

.Imp'royements in Processes for the Recovery of Nickel Rm reo lt'vhic'vh the following isa specification. Having-inyented Certain newv and useul improve- ''gnnts in methodsand processes for the'- recovery of4 l0' {nickel'rom ore,`vrehave prepared the following speci- {kation-particularly describing our invention. so that.

`hyelectrolysis at the anode and is deposited in metallic'4 Ykann upon thecathode.

I The object of our invention is to provide a method ndilprocess. by the use of which nickel may be com pletely recove.`l from ore by electrolysis and electric deposition.

Our invention consists in the hereinafter described method'oflrecoverine nickel from ore.

It consists, further, in the hereinafter described, proccmfor the recovery of, nickel from its ores by electrolysis and electric deposition.

Our method consists in thoroughly mixing suitably granulated or crushed ore with s suitable electrolytic 3.0.- solution and'thenexposing it in' a bath of the saine "'solutonat the anode While confined subject to the elctrolyticy action in'a manner such that it may be -tetailnedinthe field of electrolyticaction until the metal ha's'been completely exhausted therefrom.:

`Our process consists in: thoroughly mixing suitably powderedfore with a. ,suitable electrolytic solution; placing'the ore thus mixed Within a`jarY of biscuit Ware or other` suitable porous, materiall within operative electric connection with awconductor of carbon or other 'suitable material located Within the jar; locating the jar within a deposit-ion bath of a solution the same as that contained within-the jar so that the jar with its '.'cont'ent's constitutes an anode; .locating a suitable cathode :within operative relation with the anode and semi-fluidity, before the current is passed through it,

I in-en'e'rgizing'r the. circuit and thereby recovering the during the process of' electrolysis'to.permit'of coinpletely exhausting the metal from the ore.

The lelectric depositionv of nickel occurs most adanother '.base. Accordinglyfive employ a solution `coin arising: a solvent avent. such as. under the electroc c: l

lytic inuence of the current, *is capable of dissolving the nickel 'out of tlze combination in which it is held in 'the particular ore we desire to treat;vv comprising also, another base held, by either the same or another .solvent agent. so that together with onev or both solvent from which metallic nickel'may be electrically deposited.' It is obvious that When tlie second basev is solution subsequently to the .commencement of the to the commencement oi the deposition. For the recovery of nickel from silicate ores such as genthite, garnierite, and gymnite. asolution may be used comarnmonia,' 10% 'We do not 'desire'our claims to be understood as tlc-scribed, as We have successfully employed other bases, in the treatment of various kinds of nickel ores. We do not desire, that our claims be understood as limited toithe application of our invention by means of any particular design Iof apparatus, as We believe various suitable designs of the same might be devised; 'We hereinafterI describe an apparatus substantially such as We have used in the recovery of different nietals from their ores.

In lthefollowing description We have referred to the accompanying drawings in i'vhich the' several-parts shown are designated, respectively, Ly'dilierent letters,v the saine letters being used to indicate thc same parts in each of the several figures.

Figure l shows the apparatus as seen from above, several jars filled With crushed Ore being shown, located in a suitable tank. The upper end of a'n electric con- `ductor, central in each jar, is shown-as suspended from a horizontal electric conductorsupported bythe eiids of the tank, in electric connection with an electric generator. It is intendedthal this last mentioned conductor be connected with the positive pole ofthe generator, so that each jar with its contents may act an anode. The upper end or another suspended conductor,` not'localcd Within a jar, is shown vvhereby il depends from second horizontal conductor also resting upon the en ds i f the tank* The last mentioned suspended conductor is intended to act as a. cathode, the horizontal conducting vbar which supports' it being snficient'of the solution vtill remain in the mixture vantageously from a ,solution of. a salt of `nickel and agents it shall for'm a salt of nickel and the other base,.

held bya second solvent agent, it may be added to the electrolysis, provided. ofcourse, that it be added prior -.posed of Water, 80%. sulfuric acid, 10%-, 'and acetate of limited to the use of theparticular solution herein shoivn as electrically connected with the poleof the solutions coinpri'singother solvent agents and other loo ger'ierator, opposite to'that connected with the other horizontal conductor. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section l Which'is indicated by lig-ht horizontal shading lines.

In Fig. l, A'indicates a tank of porcelain, acidproofed Wood, or other suit-able material; B indicatesthe porous jars; C, ore in the jars for treatment; l),

4curved'or hookedportions ci rods or plates o carbon or other suitable electricfcondncting material lry means fof which' the rods or plates are suspended'in electric Contact with E, a bar el" metal in electric connection by means of Wire vF vvitli the positive side of a source ofl electric energy G; H indicates a curved end portion o 'a cathode of nickel or other suitable material by means ot` \vl1icl1 the cathode is suspended in electric Contact with bar I, Which'is electrically connected by Wire K with the negative side of the source of elect-ric energy G,

In Fig. 2, L indicates the solution; M a rod or plate oi carbon, and O7 the cathode. y p

The advantages of our invention are: First/ It is less expensive botlrincost of installation and in cost ol' operation tlian manyof 'the processes and. their correlativo apparatus for which it is capable of being substituted. Second-It is capable oi lcompletely exhausting the metal upon which it is operating, at a single operation, from the ore er matte, while'v many, if not allo'f the other processes leave a very 4considerable residuum after the first operation, which in many instances is irre'trievabl'y lost. v Thirdwlt renders possible the profitable Working oi vast deposits of very low grade ores heretofore Without commercial V'alue.A v

What We claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent is particularly set forth in tl/re following claims:

1. -The process for the recovery of/nickel from ore which consists in 4placing n ickel ore within a jar of suitable porous material in operative proximity to electric conscafzoe i ductor within .the jar locating tlie jar thus .charged as an anode in a bath of an aqueous solution of lsulfuric acid anti a salt of ammonia; locating a suitable cathode within the bath; energizing the circuit and thus recovering the metal.' v j 2. The process for the recovery of nickelvfroln ore which consists in; placing'nickel ore vvithin a'jar of-suitable porous material in operative proximity to en electric conductor within the'jar; locating 'the jar thus charged as an anode within a bath of an aqueous solution comprising 'consists 'is mixing suitably crushed ore. with an aqueous solution o'i sulfuric a'cil and asalt (jf-ammonia; placing' the'mixture within a jar of 'suitable porous material, in`

operative proximity to an electric conductor Within the" jar; locating the jar thus charged as'an anode in a bath -of electrolytic solution of the same compositionv as that contained in the j :ir: locatinge cathode of nickel'witnin the batir; energizing the circuit and thus recovering the rnc-tai. l

l..ln a process ,for the recovery of nickel 'from ore; placing nickel Ol'ciwi' Elu-3l jar of suitable porous material in operative proximity iein electricconductor `Within the jar; locating tlie jar thus charged as an anode in a bathA of an aqueous solution comprising au acid solvent agent capable of dissolving the nickel out of the combina-tion in which it is held inthe ores-'nd a reagent capable of making s olyte alkaline on:"'lectrolysis,` i

5. In a process for the recovery of nickel from ore; ex-l posing a mass of nickel ore, removably confined, :is an' 75- anode in a bath of lan aqueous solution comprisingan acid solvent agent capable of dissolving the nickel out of the combination in'Which it is lleld in the ore an a reagent capable of lmaking the catholyte alkaline von electrolysis.

ln testimony whereof We ailx our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HATCH EHRENFELD. JACOB ROSS GROVE.

Witnesses h NENA M. WAUNER, N. ll. Cnoss. 

